Coliban Water

Media Release

COLIBAN WATER RURAL SEASON TO OPEN AT 100 PERCENT ALLOCATION

3 July 2017

Coliban Water announced today that allocations for the 2017/18 rural season will open at 100 percent.

General Manager Service Delivery & Infrastructure Neville Pearce said the announcement means that Coliban Water’s 1,374 rural customers will have access to their full licence volume when the season opens in the late spring.

“Our three major catchment storages, near Kyneton, are in a strong position - 78 percent full with 54,455 megalites.

“Our annual inflow for 2016/17 was 100,293 megalitres, our second highest for a decade and 12 times higher than the previous year, which was 8,336 megalitres,” said Mr Pearce.

“The last time our inflows were more than 100,000 megalitres was in 2010/11, the year of the January 2011 floods. Last April was our wettest month since January 2011 and our wettest April since our records began in 1873.

“It is important to note that although last year was one of our highest for inflows into catchment storages, our inflow for the previous year was one of our lowest since the Millennium Drought,” said Mr Pearce.

As well as supplying rural licence holders, the Coliban Water catchment storages near Kyneton are the source of supply for towns in the Coliban System Southern, which includes Castlemaine, Kyneton and Maldon and all towns connected to these systems.

Bendigo and the towns in the Coliban System Northern, have multiple sources of supply including the catchment storages near Kyneton, from Coliban Water’s18 per cent share of inflows into Lake Eppalock, and water from the Goulburn System supplied via the Goldfields Superpipe.

Mr Pearce said when making the rural allocation decision consideration is given to all customers supplied by the catchment storages, while always aiming to maintain at least two years’ of supply in store.

“Permanent Water Saving Rules are in place across our region. Everything customers do to conserve water – even in the cooler months – helps our overall water security.

“Our region has nine separate water supply systems, each with a different supply source and level of water security.

“We are currently engaging with our customers and community on our Urban Water Strategy.

“The strategy outlines our water supply initiatives to meet our region’s residential, business and community water needs for the next 50 years.

“We plan on an ongoing basis and are closely monitoring climate patterns and population growth to manage our water resources for dry times,” said Mr Pearce.